Tesla wants to focus on cranking out regular Model 3 sedans for now

August 2, 2017

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The Tesla Model 3 already aims to become an electric BMW 3-Series to the point of calling itself 3, but Bavaria's bread-and-butter sedan isn't the only model that Tesla has its sights on. In reply to a Twitter user's question about a performance version of the recently launched Model 3, Elon Musk made some news by confirming that it's not too far off in the future.

"Probably middle of next year," Musk tweeted.

Musk had hinted at a performance version of the Model 3 in the past -- it's difficult to imagine Tesla holding off on such a car once the factory is cranking out the small sedan with ease -- but it's also easy to understand Tesla's current focus on ramping up smooth production of the base sedan to fulfill existing orders.

The once small electric car maker aims to dial up Model 3 production to 11 in early 2018 in a race to fulfill hundreds of thousands of orders that overwhelmed the company in the days following the opening of the order screens, but for now, the company aims to keep the number of flavors down to a minimum to simplify production flow, focusing on producing similarly optioned sedans in batches. In fact, the first Model 3s off the line aren't even the base $35,000 versions of the car, but the pricier longer-range variants combined with Premium packages: $9,000 and $5,000 options respectively.

Elon Musk confirmed a loose timeline for a performance model, cautioning that the company needs to focus on the base model for now. Photo by Twitter

Elon Musk took to the stage at his company’s Fremont factory to deliver the first 30 Model 3 sedans to the first 30 employee-customers Friday night, and with all the fanfare came more details ...

Following the base sedan, an all-wheel-drive, dual-motor version of the Model 3 will join the assembly line in spring 2018, so a performance version will probably enter production after the dual-motor Model 3 starts rolling out of the factory.

What can we expect from a performance version of the Model 3? Tesla-watchers are currently predicting a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup, along with a version of the Model S P100D's powertrain. The difference, of course, will be that the Model 3 will be around 800 pounds to 1,000 pounds lighter than the top Model S, which already boasts a 0-60 mph sprint time of 2.7 seconds in Ludicrous mode.

It remains to be seen how many tenths of a second the performance Model 3 will be able to shave off the Model S P100D's sprint time, but it's safe to say that launches will be a spectacle for all other traffic on the morning commute.